U.S. State Dept OKs possible sale to Canada of drone munitions: Pentagon

A MQ-9 Predator B, an Unmaned Aircraft System, at a ceremony to celebrate the authorization from the FAA to use the aircraft to patrol the Texas-Mexico land border, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010, in Corpus Christi, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

WASHINGTON -

The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale to Canada of munitions and other systems to be integrated into MQ-9Bs drones for US$313.4 million, the Pentagon said on Friday.

"The proposed sale will improve Canada’s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols of its northern arctic territories," the agency said.

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Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.

The package would include 219 Hellfire II missiles, 12 Mk82 general purpose bombs, six Mk82 filled inert bombs, and Due Regard Radars, the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. The principal contractor was General Atomics, the agency said.

Congress was notified of the possible sale on Friday, the agency said.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Eric Beech; Editing by Rami Ayyub and Mark Porter)